Do you feel like roommates instead of lovers? Is it hard for you to go a day without having a yelling match? Have you lost that connection of emotional intimacy?
Robin Bryant, Ph. D. suggests that it might be a good idea to give relationship therapy a try if your partnership presents any—or many—of the following signs.
A Lackluster Private Life and a Lack of Romance
If you have a sense that you and your partner are simply going through the motions, you may be feeling stuck and unenthused. Any relationship can lose its spark when time and effort isn’t being put in to make sure each other’s wants, and needs are being met.
Sometimes, all you need is to take a step back and examine what you’re looking for within your relationship and then take the time to communicate with your partner effectively. It’s also essential that you actively listen to each other during your time of expression. Relationship therapy can help you do exactly that and more!
Once you’ve figured out what the other is lacking to feel fulfilled in the relationship, you can start making moves in the right direction. Sometimes, planning out specific quality time with your partner is just what you need to start rekindling that initial “honeymoon phase” spark.
Frequent Disagreements That Turn into Full-Blown Arguments
Whether it’s about a dirty dish left in the sink or a more serious matter, there are ways to approach disagreement and conflict without aggressivity or yelling. Constructive feedback and valid complaints about actions or behaviors can always be communicated calmly and respectfully.
Dr. Bryant can help you cultivate essential communication tools that allow you to express your frustrations without being overly critical or aggressive towards your significant other. When expressing yourself, avoid absolute statements that start with “you always…” and switch these out with how their behavior makes you feel. This way, the recipient won’t feel like their entire character is under attack.
Learning how to frame things as encouragement instead of criticism is also an important tool, you’ll learn during the therapy process. Dr. Bryant will also help you hash out any unspoken feelings that you may have kept bottled up, as there may be an underlying issue that has created resentment within your partnership that needs to be addressed before you can move on.
Avoidance to Keep Conflict to a Minimum
Sure, you can try to avoid conflict by not talking about it, but this never works how you hope it would.
Whether you’re married or in a relationship, it’s important to talk about the things that bother you as they come. Ignoring the issue can seem tempting, but it can also lead to festering resentment and passive-aggressive behavior in the long run. You may even start to avoid spending time together as a result.
If you are prone to doing this, Dr. Bryant’s relationship therapy will help you learn better ways of dealing with conflict, so that you can discuss, resolve, and move forward. Remember—avoidance can only “solve” the problem for so long. It’s always worth taking the time to deal with it, especially if you want to have a better partnership as a whole.
A Mental Scoreboard of Past “Wrongs”
When you’re in a relationship, long-term or short-, it’s never a good idea to keep score. Nonetheless, many people adopt this bad habit of keeping track of their partner’s past “wrongdoings” to hold against them when conflict arises.
If you’re one to bring up the past when you get riled up, or your partner gets upset with you, you may be caught in a toxic pattern. Dr. Bryant will provide you with effective coping mechanisms and alternative approaches to dealing with conflict.
Again, many of these problems can be solved by dealing with the root of these pent-up feelings. Together, we’ll create healthier patterns for yourself and your significant other.
Lack of Trust and Constant Doubt
If you’re finding yourself consistently doubting what your partner says, you may have a problem with trust. Whether this has come up in the light of catching them in a lie or it is a result of long-lasting personal issues, it can be very detrimental for your relationship—and your well-being.
Think about what has caused you to feel this way. There is always a reason, and Dr. Bryant is always glad to help you figure out what it is. Relationship counseling offers you the opportunity to explore yourself as well as your relationship. We’ll be able to get to the bottom of your trust issues and implement solutions that’ll help ease your mind, and our sessions themselves will allow you to talk openly and build back your trust.
Contemplation of Infidelity
Although a tough one to admit, if you are not receiving the love and attention you require out of your current relationship, it’s fairly common to think of finding it elsewhere. You are not a bad person for this and can still wholeheartedly love your partner.
With the help of Dr. Bryant’s relationship therapy, you and your significant other will be able to pinpoint what exactly is missing for you in the partnership. And if both of you love each other and are dedicated to bettering your relationship, we guarantee that you’ll be able to work through it and find what you need from each other.
Contact Robin Bryant, Ph.D. Today for Superior Relationship Therapy
If your relationship feels a little rocky or presents any of the above signs of trouble, Dr. Bryant is an expert licensed psychologist in New York City that specializes in relationship therapy.
Through proven couple’s therapy exercises and her professional guidance and advice, she’ll help you, and your significant other get that spark back and be better than ever before. She has helped countless couples in the area thrive, and you could be next.
Get in touch with us, and we’ll schedule your first couples’ therapy session as soon as possible!